Stratification of patient populations to improve therapeutic response rate is increasingly valuable in the clinical management of cancer patients. Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTI) are therapeutic agents that have utility in the treatment of cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma and certain solid tumors. However, patients respond differently to an FTI treatment. Therefore, methods to predict the responsiveness of a cancer patient to an FTI treatment, or methods to select patients for an FTI treatment represent unmet needs. The methods and compositions of the present invention meet these needs and provide other related advantages.